Guidance #
Comments in MEDES only need to be made on the Head of Household person page Notes and under the Evidence Comment Box. See the below for guidance on where comments are to be located and what is expected.
Head of Household (HoH) Comments on the Person Page #
Case notes must be made on the HoH Person Page > Client Contact sub-tab>Notes folder.
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- Record comprehensive notes for all actions taken on case.
- Authorized Representative: Record information regarding the authorized representative type and role on an individual comment. See Add a Note / Add an Authorized Representative guide for more info.
- Medical Information can be captured in notes if relevant to determining eligibility.
- Follow the same rules for the MEDES note content as the EUMEMROL comment.
- Anytime a change is reported, or information provided on a MEDES case that can affect a FAMIS case, notes should be left in both systems and the change processed according to current procedures for both systems.
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Do not include SSNs, driver’s license numbers, credit or bank account numbers, passport information or any PHI under Head of Household comments unless there is a specific business need. Document the business need with an explanation as to why the PII or PHI was entered as a comment. Use sound judgment and reference IM Resources for specific guidance as to what case comments are appropriate. Leave notes or comments on evidence when possible, instead of recording under the Head of Household comments.
NOTE: CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER STAFF: Notes in MEDES: Subject line should be ‘(insert time of call and topic of call)’. Include the best call back number for the participant in every note entered.
Evidence Verification Comments on the Application Cases (AC) and Integrated Cases (IC) #
Verification notes must be made on the individual evidence. From the AC/IC, select the Evidence subtab > Evidence Dashboard > select the Evidence hyperlink > toggle open the evidence you need to comment on > select the Lists Actions Menu > select Edit > Record text in the Comments Box > Save.
NOTE: Enter the verification note prior to verifying the evidence. Once the evidence is verified, any edits made will require the evidence to be verified again.
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- A comment is entered when an explanation of Evidence or Verification is needed.
- Comments are not necessary when the following criteria are met:
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- The Verification Item is Self-Attestation.
- The Verification Item is a System such as IBTH or MODL
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- For more info, see MEDES Notes and Comments SOP.
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- Verification Comments only need to be entered under the Evidence’s Comments Box unless the Evidence does not have a comment box to record the note, then the comment can be made under the Verification or Included on the HOH Person Page case note.
- Income:
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- Record any information regarding income source, reason ended, or anything else regarding a particular income source that requires further explanation.
- Record any information regarding the income amount and how that was determined.
- EXAMPLE (Earned Income): Employer Name, how often the individual is paid, if averaging; provide an explanation of how you arrived at the average used in the budgeting process. If you exclude portions of the reported earnings, an explanation is needed. Forms (Equifax, statement from employer, paystubs, Federal Tax Return) or other acceptable sources used to verify income.
- EXAMPLE (Unearned Income): IMES should be used to verify Unemployment Compensation. The Comment should list the amount, how often the payment is received, balance remaining, and date reviewed.
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- Deductions:
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- Record the verification used if verification is required by policy or because of questionable information to explain deductions.
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- Non-Citizens:
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- Record additional information contained on the document/verification. If the household member chooses to not consent to sponsor contact or declines to declare status, record that decision.
- Record information obtained through Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) and the date obtained.
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- Students:
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- Record the hard copy of verification if used, for those attending high school or higher education.
- General explanation of the Verification will be addressed by the drop-down options in the section Item*. Once an Item* is selected from the drop-down box more information may be needed; if so you can add an explanation to the Comments area.
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General Comment Guidance #
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- For more details about the types of notes expected for different types of scenarios, please reference:
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- IM Resources: Specific comment guidance can be found on the Home page by clicking the “+” toggle to the right of the Screen and Subject or in the guide itself
- MAGI CCIU Guide: It is best practice to reference the CCIU guide when making comments
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- Verification Wizard:
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- Refer to the Verify Outstanding Evidence guide to verify evidence through the Verification Wizard.
- NOTE: Comments do not need to be made through the Verification Wizard. Any Evidence requiring a comment should be made on the evidence as explained above in step 1b. The only exception is Prior Quarter Income. As this evidence does not have a comment box the comment is to be entered either under the Verification or on the HoH comment.
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- For more details about the types of notes expected for different types of scenarios, please reference: